Brody
Istep out of the shower, pausing in front of the bathroom mirror. “You’re going to have to own up to what you’re doing with Georgia, and deal with Robert.” I sound like a crazy person talking to myself.
But I’m just…worried.
Georgia was devastated after the dinner with her father. Hell,Iwas devastated too.
I guess I never realized just how big of a dick he could be.
I run my fingers through my damp hair and then step out of the bathroom, catching sight of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen sitting on the edge of my bed.
Georgia peers up at me, her eyes tired. “You know, I tried to leave this morning.”
“I know,” I say softly. “I should’ve tried to talk to you about it sooner.”
“I was closed off.” Her eyes drop to her hands, clasped in her lap. “I know I shut you out the entire way back to the boat, and I just made up my mind that it was over. I needed to be done with it, because… I thought it was all going to end, anyway.” She looks up at me, tears welling up in her eyes. “But then you guys reassured me.”
“Well, mostly Emmett and Miles did,” I begrudgingly admit, taking the seat beside her. “It was a shock to me though. All of this.” The truth comes tumbling out of my mouth without much effort.
She shifts her weight, letting her hands drop to the duvet. The silence between us hurts, and I shift away, trying to read her expression. But just like all women, she feels like a mystery.
And I suddenly feel like twenty years old again, at the Naval Academy, waiting to get chewed out by my instructor. “I don’t know why I do that,” I say, voice going flat. “Shut people out when I get rattled. I’ve always done it, even when it makes things worse.” I rub the heel of my palm over my knee. “You’re not the only one who thought it was all going to fall apart.”
She gives a little huff, the side of her mouth lifting. “Funny, you don’t seem like someone who gets scared.”
I shake my head. “That’s the problem. I’m scared shitless most of the time.” I let out a nervous laugh, and I force myself to breathe. “Last night, with your dad, I wanted to take the table and throw it through the fucking window. He was way out of line. I didn’t realize how much of an asshole he could be—even to his own daughter.”
Georgia crosses her ankles, drawing her legs up. The way she curls into herself, I realize she’s still expecting me to pull the rug out, like I’ll say something nice and then pull away for good. “He’s always been that way,” she says, picking a stray thread from the comforter. “He never really saw me. Not the way I wanted him to.”
She keeps her head down, so I lean forward, elbows on my knees, closing the space. “Listen,” I begin, then stop, running a hand through my hair. “I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I fucked up walking away from you that first time. After we…you know. I acted like it was a mistake, and that wasn’t fair. I just—I’ve never…” The words tangle in my mouth,and my throat gets tight. “I don’t want to be another man telling you what to do. Especially not after what happened last night.”
She glances up, her expression unreadable. “You said I was a mistake.”
I flinch, hating myself. “Yeah. I did.” I shake my head, trying to force the words out properly this time. “That was bullshit. I was afraid, and I acted like a coward. I told myself that if I could kill it right away, I wouldn’t have to feel anything. I wouldn’t have to risk pissing off your dad.”
Georgia’s eyes shimmer, but she holds them steady on mine, her lips pursed.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” I say, voice dropping. “And I’m sorry for not seeing how much your dad had you boxed in. I should have stood up for you right then and there, before you ever had to storm out of there. The whole thing was a fucking curveball.”
I expect her to cut me off, to tell me she doesn’t need a white knight, but she just sits there, breathing slowly.
“I guess I just…” I spread my hands over the damp towel. “I wanted to be the one who made things easier for you. Not worse.”
Georgia laughs, shaking her head as her eyes glisten with tears. “No one’s ever made things easy for me. And I don’t know how you could’ve expected to fix my life.”
I give a sheepish shrug. “Maybe not make you feel smaller.” I lean closer, unable to stop myself. “And I swear, if Robert says one more thing about you?—”
“I’ll survive it,” she interjects. “I always have.” Her chin lifts, and I can see the fierceness in her, the same fierceness that floored me the moment we starting chatting at her birthday.
I reach over and take her hand. Her fingers are small, cold, but when I lace mine through them, she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she lets out a breath, eyes closing for a beat, like she’s just been waiting for this.
My own relief is palpable. Like I’ve come in from a hurricane and finally found the anchor line. I try to memorize every inch of her— the tiny freckle on her thumb, the faint blue vein at her wrist. I could sit here for hours, just holding on.
“I really don’t want to fuck this up,” I say, finally. “I know I might anyway, and Idon’thave the solution with your dad. I just know that we’ll take it day by day, like Emmett and Miles said.”
She squeezes my fingers. “So just try,” she whispers. “Just… be honest. Even if it sucks.”
“Deal,” I breathe out. “I think I can do that.”
